Saturday, October 30, 2010

The following is a news story from KABC7 discussing the dangers associated with candy laced with marijuana. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department held a news conference on the topic on October 29, 2010.

Friday, October 29, 2010

The City of Arcadia will rehabilitate Santa Anita Avenue from Camino Real to Longden Avenue, Duarte Road to Christina Street, and Foothill Boulevard to the 210 Freeway. A contract company will be performing the work. Damaged concrete will be repaired, a signal communication line will be installed, new signal poles installed, the surface of pavement will be removed, and then the entire roadway will be repaved. The work was scheduled to begin on Wednesday October 27th and should be completed before December 31st. Work hours will be from 7:00 am to 5:00pm.

Drivers and residents should expect traffic control devices, lane closures, equipment operations, materials on the street, driveway closures, and sidewalk closures. Possible delays may occur when traveling through this area.

Due to the nature of the work, access to resident’s driveways may be disrupted and residents may need to park on the street. The Arcadia Police Department will issue a blanket parking permit to the areas directly impacted by the construction on a daily basis. There is no need to obtain or purchase an overnight parking permit on the nights that your property is impacted. Should your vehicle receive an overnight parking citation in error, please contact the APD Watch Commander at (626) 574-5156.

If you have any questions or need to contact someone about the construction, you may contact the City Engineers Office at (626) 574-5411.

This weekend brings plenty of Halloween gatherings along with our kids trick or treating in our neighborhoods. If you are out and about driving this weekend, pay close attention for pedestrians and little goblins running across the street. Watch out for our kids as they trick or treat on Halloween night from house to house or while getting out of parked cars.

Arcadia, like many communities, has many homes that are decorated and offer "haunted houses" which attract crowds of kids and traffic. When visiting these locations, enjoy the experience but remember to obey traffic laws and parking regulations.

Don't double park or drop off passengers in the roadway.

Don't block driveways.

Don't park in crosswalks.

Don't park in front of fire hydrants.

Please be courteous and respectful of your neighbors. Drive carefully and be aware of all the children celebrating this weekend!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Officers from the Arcadia Police Department Traffic Bureau will be conducting roving patrols throughout the City on Friday evening, October 29, 2010, from 6 pm to 2 am. This directed enforcement will target drivers who are impaired and operating vehicles while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

On Saturday night, October 30, 2010, Traffic Officers from law enforcement agencies throughout Los Angeles County will be out in force conducting roving DUI patrols as well. APD will dedicate a two-officer unit to the effort, known as "Avoid the 100", funded through grant monies from the California Office of Traffic Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Dial 911 to Report Drunk Drivers!

Be Responsible, Don't Drink & Drive!

Use a Designated Driver or other alternative such as "Tipsy Tow" from Jan's Towing, (626) 914-1841.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

The safety of our children is on our minds each and every day. The celebrations and traditions that go along with Halloween add to the importance of monitoring our children's activity and giving them the guidance to help keep them safe. Here are a couple of websites that offer good tips on Halloween safety:

There are also options to traditional "trick or treating" that allow your children to celebrate in a controlled and safe environment. The Arcadia Public Library is offering a trick or treat in the library, today, Wednesday, October 27th at 4:00 pm and 6:30 pm. Call the library for information and registration at (626) 821-5567. The City will be hosting their annual Halloween event at the Community Center on Friday, October 29th from 4:30-6:30 pm.

At about 9:25 pm Monday evening, October 25, 2010, two suspects robbed the Subway sandwich shop located in the 400 block of East Huntington Drive and made off with an amount of cash. The first suspect entered the store and pointed a handgun at an employee, telling her to place the cash in a bag that he was holding. The employee complied and handed over cash from the register as the suspect grabbed additional money from the tip jar. The suspect fled out of the location and met up with the second suspect who was outside, acting as a look-out. Both suspects fled on foot.

The first suspect is described as a male Hispanic, 20-30 years old, 5'-08", 180 lbs, gray baseball cap, long sleeve burgundy shirt, black shorts, colored tattoo on neck, wearing black framed glasses, armed with a black handgun. The second suspect was described as a male Hispanic, 20-20 years old, 5'-10", 150 lbs, light skinned, wearing a white t-shirt and black shorts.

Anyone with information is asked to call Arcadia Police Detectives at 626-574-5160. You can also submit crime tips and information via text, phone, or web to LA Regional Crime Stoppers, 800-222-TIPS (8477), or by clicking on the "Submit a Tip" button on the APD Blog side bar.

Earlier this month, law enforcement from throughout the Los Angeles area conducted a day of zero tolerance enforcement for distracted driving violations. Officers across the county will once again be out in force today, Tuesday, October 26, 2010, in an effort to combat distracted driving. Arcadia Patrol and Traffic Officers will join in the effort and will have zero tolerance for cellular phone, texting, and other distracted driving violations today.

Remember that holding your phone and using the speaker during a call while driving is still a violation. Using a speaker equipped phone is not the same as using a bluetooth device. Please put the phone down and leave the texting and calling for when you have arrived safely at your destination. This same advice goes for reading a newspaper, putting on make-up, or pampering a pooch in your lap while driving. Each of these have the potential to constitute a distracted driving violation of unsafe speed. Drive safely, drive smartly!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Red Ribbon Week is October 23th-31st, 2010. Red Ribbon Week began in remembrance of DEA Agent Enrique Camarena who was kidnapped and murdered in Mexico in 1985. Agent Camarena had been working undercover for the DEA and was key in developing information that led to the eradication of large scale narcotics manufacturing operations in Mexico. Mexican cartel leaders sought revenge for these operations, murdering alleged informants and ultimately Agent Camarena. The Red Ribbon Coalition website gives a well written summary of the history of Red Ribbon Week and offers an excellent tribute to slain DEA Agent "Kiki" Enrique Camarena.

Following his death, in Agent Camarena's home town, Calexico, CA, the public outpouring of support turned in to an organized community response in which citizens dawned red ribbons. They became a voice for prevention in order to reduce the demand for illegal drugs and use of drugs in America. The following year the California State PTA adopted the Red Ribbon Campaign. Then, in 1988, Red Ribbon Week was recognized nationally with President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan serving as the Honorary Chairs.

Today, the Red Ribbon Celebration brings millions of people together to raise awareness regarding the need for alcohol, tobacco and other drug and violence prevention, early intervention, and treatment services. It is the largest, most visible prevention awareness campaign observed annually in the United States.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Last night at about 6 pm, a woman returned home to the 800 block of West Huntington Drive after running errands, which included a stop at a bank in Rosemead. The victim pulled into her townhouse garage and left the garage door open. She exited her car and walked toward the interior door when she heard a noise and saw a male suspect reaching into the passenger side of her car. The suspect grabbed the victim's purse which was still on the passenger seat. The suspect immediately ran out of the garage and into an awaiting vehicle which fled the complex to eastbound Huntington Drive. The victim was not injured and the loss included the purse and contents along with an amount of cash. She was not sure whether or not she had been followed after leaving the bank.

The suspect was described as a male Hispanic, 25 years old, 5'-08", "skinny", dark short hair and clean shaven. The suspect was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans. The suspect vehicle was an older model 4-door sedan, white in color.

Anyone with information is asked to call Arcadia Police Detectives at 626-574-5160. You can also submit crime tips and information via text, phone, or web to LA Regional Crime Stoppers, 800-222-TIPS (8477), or by clicking on the "Submit a Tip" button on the APD Blog side bar.

The Arcadia Police Department News & Information Blog is a great way to stay informed on up to date info from your Police Department. But we also offer emergency alert, advisory, traffic, and community information that can be sent directly to your cellular phone and email. This service is provided FREE to you and free to local governments nationwide by Nixle. Nixle is operated in conjunction with NLETS, an international public safety information network providing secure, authenticated messaging.

The information distributed through Nixle is controlled by personnel at the Arcadia Police Department. Notifications or alerts of an emergent nature, community information, traffic or road closures, crime information, are just some of the examples of what can be communicated to the residents who subscribe to Nixle. The information can be sent to the entire user group or a specified target area based on locations related to the information. For example, a crime bulletin may be sent to a particular neighborhood or a specified radius, such as within a ¼ mile of the target address or area.

There are two ways to "subscribe" to the Arcadia Police Nixle alerts and notification. In order to receive just emergency alerts, you can text your zip code, 91006 or 91007, to the law enforcement Nixle number of 888777 on your text capable cell phone. You will receive a confirmation text in response letting you know that you are set-up properly. This will work for any zip code so long as the local agency or county is participating in Nixle. You may incur text related charges but that is based upon your personal cellular plan. This type of enrollment limits your notifications to emergency alerts to your cell phone only!

The more complete and informative way to subscribe to our Nixle page is to register on-line at http://local.nixle.com/arcadia-police-department/. By subscribing via the web, you will be able to receive all messages from the Arcadia Police Department. Once you subscribe to the Arcadia Community Wire, there are settings that allow you to select things such as the time of day that you may be notified and also types of notifications.

By using Nixle, the Arcadia Police Department adds another valuable tool that allows us to better communicate and share information with our community. Use of Nixle is in addition to conventional notifications, meetings, bulletins, press releases, and other forms of communication. We look forward to sharing information with you!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

The City of Arcadia participated in the Great California ShakeOut today. At 10:21 am, a simulated 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the Southern California area and impacted the City. The Arcadia Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was activated in a mock drill and representatives from all City Departments were on hand. Methodist Hospital and Westfield Santa Anita personnel were also present. This type of exercise gives City personnel the opportunity to hone first responder and operational skills in the event of an emergency. Don't forget to visit the ShakeOut website for tips and links for emergency preparedness.

It's 10:21 am and today is 10/21/10! Drop, Cover, and Hold On! Are you taking part in the Great California ShakeOut? For more information the ShakeOut and on earthquake preparedness, visit the ShakeOut website or EarthquakeCountry.info.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

National School Bus Safety Week runs this week, October 18th - 22nd. We will take the opportunity to run a modified version of a previous post, reminding everyone to stop for school bus red lights.

School buses are equipped with flashing red lights that are activated when loading or unloading pupils. California law requires that drivers approaching from either side of the bus, must stop and remain stopped while the red lights and stop arms are activated. The only exceptions to the law come into play when the bus is stopped on a roadway with multiple lanes and a divided highway or a raised center divider. If you are approaching from the opposite direction and on the opposite side of the road from the bus, you may proceed. This section, CVC 22454, also applies to private roads.

This law was created for the safety of our students. It is imperative that drivers yield and stop for buses with red lights on. School bus drivers are required to assist pupils when crossing in front of the bus and may appear at any time. Be aware of pedestrians and watch our for darting kids!

Courtesy of Google, visitors to the Arcadia Police Department News & Information Blog now have the ability to translate our messages and pages into any language supported by Google Translate. By using the simple Google widget at the top of the side bar, visitors can select one of many languages and immediately translate the page into that language. The widget was no cost to APD but offers the priceless ability to better engage our Community and visitors to the City. Try it out! (Please note that some languages may not be supported by your computer for viewing)

Drivers often ask about crossing or turning over double yellow lines. It is lawful to turn across a double yellow line in order to turn into or out of public or private property. Double yellow lines are generally used to divide a roadway when there is two-way traffic. Passing is not allowed over a double yellow line at any time. Take a look at the DMV websitefor additional information on roadway markings. Remember that two double yellow sets of lines in a roadway constitute a divided roadway and are a painted median. It is unlawful to turn across such a marking.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Shortly after 11:00 pm last night, a male suspect was seen getting out of a suspicious vehicle and then looking into a parked SUV with a flashlight in the 00 block East Newman Avenue. The suspect entered the passenger side of the SUV and slid across to the driver's seat. The witness happened to be the daughter of the SUV owner and began to walk toward her father's SUV. The suspect apparently saw the witness and immediately got out and fled back to the suspect vehicle which drove away to northbound Santa Anita Avenue.

The suspect was described as a male Hispanic, 35-40 years, dark skinned with a goatee, wearing a red USC hat, red sweatshirt, baggy blue jeans and white tennis shoes. The suspect vehicle was a white Nissan Titan P/U with a large "O" emblem on the rear window (similar to Oakley) and a partial license plate #----457 CA.

Anyone with information on the suspects or suspect vehicle is asked to call APD Detectives at (626) 574-5160. You can also submit anonymous tips through LA Regional Crime Stoppers by text, phone, or on the web.

In 2009, Los Angeles County officials announced the implementation of an emergency mass notification system to alert residents and businesses by phone, text, and e-mail of emergencies in their area.

Called Alert LA County, the system will allow the Sheriff's Emergency Communications Center to activate local and regional alerts by drawing the boundaries of the area to be notified on a computer map. Recorded and written alerts will provide information on the nature of the emergency and necessary actions, such as evacuations.

The County's 7.1 million land-line phone numbers are programmed into the mass notification system, but the public must register Voice over IP lines, cell phones and e-mail addresses. Registration of this information can be done on the County's Alert LACounty.gov website. Each telephone number and e-mail can be associated with only one street address.

Use the link above to register your information. It only takes a couple of minutes to complete the form. In addition to Alert LA County, the Arcadia Police Department also uses Nixle to make community notification in the event of emergencies. Nixle is a "community wire" that allows our agency to share community information, crime alerts, traffic advisories, and much more with folks living, working, and visiting our City. We encourage you to sign-up for Nixle messaging from APD in addition to your participation in Alert LA County.

Friday, October 1, 2010

At least twice daily, several hundred automobiles converge on each of our City schools to deliver and pick up students. Severe traffic congestion from illegally stopped vehicles and other violations place our children in an unsafe environment. Traffic problems near schools are not unique to the City of Arcadia.Like towns throughout the San GabrielValley, the Arcadia Police Department receives many requests each school year to increase police patrols, increase enforcement and to assist in making changes to improve the safety of the students.Many problems can be solved through education of the students and parents, traditional traffic enforcement and through engineering changes.However, when certain violations continue despite these efforts, law enforcement officers will turn to non-traditional methods to help curb the problem.

In January of 2006, the Arcadia Police Department began using video cameras to record vehicular violations near our schools, as they occur. Traffic Officers later process the video and mail citations to the registered owner of the violator vehicle. Increased compliance with these types of traffic laws will significantly improve the safety of our children.